721 research outputs found
Theory and simulations of rigid polyelectrolytes
We present theoretical and numerical studies on stiff, linear
polyelectrolytes within the framework of the cell model. We first review
analytical results obtained on a mean-field Poisson-Boltzmann level, and then
use molecular dynamics simulations to show, under which circumstances these
fail quantitatively and qualitatively. For the hexagonally packed nematic phase
of the polyelectrolytes we compute the osmotic coefficient as a function of
density. In the presence of multivalent counterions it can become negative,
leading to effective attractions. We show that this results from a reduced
contribution of the virial part to the pressure. We compute the osmotic
coefficient and ionic distribution functions from Poisson-Boltzmann theory with
and without a recently proposed correlation correction, and also simulation
results for the case of poly(para-phenylene) and compare it to recently
obtained experimental data on this stiff polyelectrolyte. We also investigate
ion-ion correlations in the strong coupling regime, and compare them to
predictions of the recently advocated Wigner crystal theories.Comment: 32 pages, 15 figures, proceedings of the ASTATPHYS-MEX-2001, to be
published in Mol. Phy
Radius of a Photon Beam with Orbital Angular Momentum
We analyze the transverse structure of the Gouy phase shift in light beams
carrying orbital angular momentum and show that the Gouy radius
characterizing the transverse structure grows as with the
nodal number and photon angular momentum number . The Gouy radius is
shown to be closely related to the root-mean-square radius of the beam, and the
divergence of the radius away from the focal plane is determined. Finally, we
analyze the rotation of the Poynting vector in the context of the Gouy radius.Comment: 11 page
Non-mean-field theory of anomalously large double-layer capacitance
Mean-field theories claim that the capacitance of the double-layer formed at
a metal/ionic conductor interface cannot be larger than that of the Helmholtz
capacitor, whose width is equal to the radius of an ion. However, in some
experiments the apparent width of the double-layer capacitor is substantially
smaller. We propose an alternate, non-mean-field theory of the ionic
double-layer to explain such large capacitance values. Our theory allows for
the binding of discrete ions to their image charges in the metal, which results
in the formation of interface dipoles. We focus primarily on the case where
only small cations are mobile and other ions form an oppositely-charged
background. In this case, at small temperature and zero applied voltage dipoles
form a correlated liquid on both contacts. We show that at small voltages the
capacitance of the double-layer is determined by the transfer of dipoles from
one electrode to the other and is therefore limited only by the weak
dipole-dipole repulsion between bound ions, so that the capacitance is very
large. At large voltages the depletion of bound ions from one of the capacitor
electrodes triggers a collapse of the capacitance to the much smaller
mean-field value, as seen in experimental data. We test our analytical
predictions with a Monte Carlo simulation and find good agreement. We further
argue that our ``one-component plasma" model should work well for strongly
asymmetric ion liquids. We believe that this work also suggests an improved
theory of pseudo-capacitance.Comment: 19 pages, 14 figures; some Monte Carlo results and a section about
aqueous solutions adde
Longitudinal–differential phase distribution near the focus of a high numerical aperture lens: study of wavefront spacing and Gouy phase
CD5 expression promotes IL-10 production through activation of the MAPK/Erk pathway and upregulation of TRPC1 channels in B lymphocytes.
CD5 is constitutively expressed on T cells and a subset of mature normal and leukemic B cells in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Important functional properties are associated with CD5 expression in B cells, including signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 activation, IL-10 production and the promotion of B-lymphocyte survival and transformation. However, the pathway(s) by which CD5 influences the biology of B cells and its dependence on B-cell receptor (BCR) co-signaling remain unknown. In this study, we show that CD5 expression activates a number of important signaling pathways, including Erk1/2, leading to IL-10 production through a novel pathway independent of BCR engagement. This pathway is dependent on extracellular calcium (Ca2+) entry facilitated by upregulation of the transient receptor potential channel 1 (TRPC1) protein. We also show that Erk1/2 activation in a subgroup of CLL patients is associated with TRPC1 overexpression. In this subgroup of CLL patients, small inhibitory RNA (siRNA) for CD5 reduces TRPC1 expression. Furthermore, siRNAs for CD5 or for TRPC1 inhibit IL-10 production. These findings provide new insights into the role of CD5 in B-cell biology in health and disease and could pave the way for new treatment strategies for patients with B-CLL
Diffuse-Charge Dynamics in Electrochemical Systems
The response of a model micro-electrochemical system to a time-dependent
applied voltage is analyzed. The article begins with a fresh historical review
including electrochemistry, colloidal science, and microfluidics. The model
problem consists of a symmetric binary electrolyte between parallel-plate,
blocking electrodes which suddenly apply a voltage. Compact Stern layers on the
electrodes are also taken into account. The Nernst-Planck-Poisson equations are
first linearized and solved by Laplace transforms for small voltages, and
numerical solutions are obtained for large voltages. The ``weakly nonlinear''
limit of thin double layers is then analyzed by matched asymptotic expansions
in the small parameter , where is the
screening length and the electrode separation. At leading order, the system
initially behaves like an RC circuit with a response time of
(not ), where is the ionic diffusivity, but nonlinearity
violates this common picture and introduce multiple time scales. The charging
process slows down, and neutral-salt adsorption by the diffuse part of the
double layer couples to bulk diffusion at the time scale, . In the
``strongly nonlinear'' regime (controlled by a dimensionless parameter
resembling the Dukhin number), this effect produces bulk concentration
gradients, and, at very large voltages, transient space charge. The article
concludes with an overview of more general situations involving surface
conduction, multi-component electrolytes, and Faradaic processes.Comment: 10 figs, 26 pages (double-column), 141 reference
mPSQed: A Software for the Design of Multiplex Pyrosequencing Assays
Molecular-based diagnostic assays are the gold standard for infectious diseases today, since they allow a rapid and sensitive identification and typing of various pathogens. While PCR can be designed to be specific for a certain pathogen, a subsequent sequence analysis is frequently required for confirmation or typing. The design of appropriate PCR-based assays is a complex task, especially when conserved discriminating polymorphisms are rare or if the number of types which need to be differentiated is high. One extremely useful but underused method for this purpose is the multiplex pyrosequencing technique. Unfortunately there is no software available to aid researchers in designing multiplex pyrosequencing assays. Here, we present mPSQed (Multiplex PyroSeQuencing EDitor), a program targeted at closing this gap. We also present the design of an exemplarily theoretical assay for the differentiation of human adenovirus types A–F using two pyrosequencing primers on two distinct PCR products, designed quickly and easily using our software
Axion-like-particle search with high-intensity lasers
We study ALP-photon-conversion within strong inhomogeneous electromagnetic
fields as provided by contemporary high-intensity laser systems. We observe
that probe photons traversing the focal spot of a superposition of Gaussian
beams of a single high-intensity laser at fundamental and frequency-doubled
mode can experience a frequency shift due to their intermittent propagation as
axion-like-particles. This process is strongly peaked for resonant masses on
the order of the involved laser frequencies. Purely laser-based experiments in
optical setups are sensitive to ALPs in the mass range and can
thus complement ALP searches at dipole magnets.Comment: 25 pages, 2 figure
Electrolytic depletion interactions
We consider the interactions between two uncharged planar macroscopic
surfaces immersed in an electrolyte solution which are induced by interfacial
selectivity. These forces are taken into account by introducing a depletion
free-energy density functional, in addition to the usual mean-field
Poisson-Boltzmann functional. The minimization of the total free-energy
functional yields the density profiles of the microions and the electrostatic
potential. The disjoining pressure is obtained by differentiation of the total
free energy with respect to the separation of the surfaces, holding the range
and strength of the depletion forces constant. We find that the induced
interaction between the two surfaces is always repulsive for sufficiently large
separations, and becomes attractive at shorter separations. The nature of the
induced interactions changes from attractive to repulsive at a distance
corresponding to the range of the depletion forces.Comment: 17 pages, 4 Postscript figures, submitted to Physical Review
Identification of the electroelastic coupling from full multi-physical fields measured at the micrometre scale
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